UNRISD's research over the last half century has lent a voice to those who believe that sustainable development, social justice and gender equality are more than a pipe dream. At a moment where a "new" global consensus is in the making, UNRISD research on gender and development provides important insights for those who believe that it is necessary to push the boundaries of political discourse beyond its current focus on economic growth and poverty reduction toward a broader understanding of development that includes human well-being, equity, sustainability, democratic governance and social justice.

UNRISD Classics is a set of three volumes—Social Policy and Inclusive Development, Gendered Dimensions of Development and Revisiting Sustainable Development—that bring together 50 selected essays from 50 years of UNRISD research. The contributions both highlight some of the Institute’s most influential and ground-breaking research and, through new introductions, demonstrate its relevance to today’s development debates.

Cover Art
The cover art was chosen from UNRISD's Visions of Change call, which encouraged creative thinkers from all over the world to submit artwork illustrating key social development values and themes of equity, sustainability, inclusion, and progressive social change.

The cover art for Volume II of the UNRISD Classics, The Silent One by Dubai-based artist Sana Jamlaney (India) is part of a series of four paintings. "I paint portraits of the society I live in," she says, "it is impossible not to be affected by and respond to it. The topics highlighted by UNRISD resonated with me. They evoked many themes and issues I grapple with on a regular basis, in both my daily life and my artwork."

With each painting in this series the artist has aimed to portray a segment of society in contemporary India, a multifaceted perspective of women with a strong voice, but one which may be silenced by social structures. Says Jamlaney: "This series doesn’t just discuss the circumstances that befall these women, but also articulates the fact that these women’s plight often falls on deaf ears; in their own homes, in the government, and in institutions constructed by their own society." UNRISD has selected this vibrant, energetic, powerful work to convey the importance of giving expression to the unheard, ignored, excluded voices.